New pizza place offers taste of Motor City in Loomis

Detroit-style pizza can now be found in Loomis. Motorhead Pizza, located at 3281 Swetzer Road in the business district, serves what co-owners Matt Mermod and Clint Ferguson strongly feel is the best Detroit-style pizza not only in the town but Placer County and the Sacramento region. Many customers online agree. Motorhead Pizza has received a 4.8 rating on Yelp and 4.8 stars on Google reviews. "One thing I'm really proud of, myself, is our customer service, how we treat our customers and how our customers treat us," Ferguson said. "There's a level of pride in that." Motorhead Pizza has also received a lot of love on Facebook. On the Loomis Community Post page on social media, there are many photos of the pizza dishes, from pepperoni to various types of combination. "Facebook was the main driver," Ferguson said. The pizza place is close to its one-year anniversary, having opened on March 13, 2024. The co-owners talked about the process of making their popular pizzas. The men and their six employees, such as Bella Orsi and Meri Nickerson who were working Thursday afternoon, use the highest quality Italian flour, yeast and extra virgin olive oil. All the pizzas are made with organically grown California tomatoes and fresh herbs and include house-shredded blends of Tillamook and Grande mozzarella cheeses. The men said the pizzas usually take about 20 minutes to prepare. After customers place their orders, the process begins by making the pizzas in an 8x10 Detroit-style pan. "The main differential between this pizza and other pizzas is the dough," Ferguson said. "It does take about five to six times longer to make our dough than it does to make other dough because a traditional round pizza dough, you ball it up and set it aside. Each dough requires its own individual pan." After the toppings are placed, the pizza is placed on a slow-moving conveyor-belt oven that cooks for seven minutes. The pizzas require a slower bake to achieve the perfect texture that is light and airy on the inside and crispy and golden brown outside. Mermod said the barbecue chicken pizza is one of the most popular dishes. Another popular dish that has been offered since the end of January, and posted on the Loomis Community Page on Facebook, is the Cali Club, which is garlic white sauce, smoked bacon, ham, roasted chicken, cherry tomatoes topped with parmesan cheese and green onions. Mermod and Ferguson talked about how the Detroit-style pizza was discovered in 1946 at a mom-and-pop shop in, where else, Detroit, Michigan. Salads and chocolate chip cookies are also available to order. Sodas and water can also be purchased. Mermod and Ferguson have known each other for 35 years. Mermod, along with his wife Jessica and their three children, also owns Newcastle Gardens and has operated catering companies in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Napa and San Diego. He has worked for more than 10 years in the Bay Area as an executive chef and general manager at a catering company that serves many large-scale tech companies. Ferguson has worked various roles in the restaurant business, from chef to waiter to bartending. He also worked in sales. They became co-owners during a conversation via email regarding a software app for delivery almost two years ago. "Heck, I could pull that off out here," Mermod said of building the app, noting he was already subleasing the building Motorhead Pizza is in now. "This place just kind of fell into our lap." The previous business in the building moved out. "It was just perfect timing," Mermod said. The men did some renovation to accommodate their pizza catering business before opening last March. "We just kind of built up momentum," Mermod said. Motorhead Pizza offers only pickup and delivery. To place an order, call 279-252-9211 or visit www.eatmotorheadpizza.com. Motorhead Pizza is open Tuesday through Saturday from 3:30 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. The catering business is closed on Mondays and recently extended its days of operation from five to six days a week, adding Tuesday. Motorhead Pizza can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.